Orthodontic appliance



Sept. l, 1931. s; R. A'rKlNsoN ORTHODONTIG APPLIANCE Filed 001'.. 28, 1929 l WM5/vra@ f Jpg-65e fw//MJO/W y? Patented Sept. l, 1931 BED sra'rns PATENT OFFICE ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCE Application filed October 28, 1929. Serial No. 402,954.

My invention relates generally to orthodontic appliances and more particularly to a bracket that is secured toV the tooth band and which bracket serves as a point ofl attachment or anchorage for the arch-bow or wire and the tang or tie wires and springs that are utilized in connection with the tooth band and arch-bow or orthodontic devices.

The principal objects 'of my. invention are, to generally lmprove upon and simplify the construction of the existing forms of the brackets that are utilized upon the tooth bands or ribbons or orthodontic devices, further, to provide a bracket having means for receiving and anchoring the tang or tie wires and the springs that are sometimes utilized in connection with the arch-bow for the adjustment and correction of the dental arch and further, to provide an orthodontic bracket of the character described, that is relativelysimple in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, capable of being readily combined with the standard forms of orthondontic appliances now in general use, and further, to provide a bracket that will be highly effective in performing the functions for which it is intended.

W ith the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accolnpanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l .is a perspective view showing a portion of a tooth band or ribbon and sho-wing a bracket of my improved construction in position for use upon said band.

. Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the bracket in position upon the band and showing the arch-bow and the tang or tie wire connected to said bracket.

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of my improved bracket in position upon the tooth band and showing a spring connected to said bracket `and bearing on the arch-bow or wire.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of the bracket.

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of a modified form of the bracket and showing the same in position upon the band.

Fig. 7 is a cross section taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an elevational view of a modified form of the bracket.

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of a further modified form of the bracket.

Fig. 10 is an elevational view of the form of bracket that is illustrated in Fig. 9.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings and particularly to the construction Aillustrated in Figs. l to 3 inclusive, 10 designates the band and rigidly iXed to the outer face thereof in any suitable manner is a thin reenforcing plate 111.

Rigidly secured to this reenforcing plate is the bracket 12 contemplated by my invention and which bracket is formed from 7 strong, tough, rigid metal such as platinum or composition metal having platinum incorporated therewith.

The body of metal that forms the body of the bracket is arranged with its greatest length vertically disposed on the reenforcing member l1 and the upper inner portion of the bracket is cut away to form a transverse notch 13 that is adapted to receive the arch-bow or wire and which latter may be of any desired form in cross section, either round, square or polygonal.

F ormedin the lower portion of the body of the bracket and extending inwardly from the front face thereof is a horizontally disposed notch 15 that is adapted to receive a tang or tie wire or a portion of a spring and which parts are associated with the archbow and the bandV when the appliance is fitted into the dental arch.

This notch 15 extends to the inner or rear wall of the notch and after the arch-bow, such as A, and the tang or tie wire, such as T, are `properly located in their respective notches, a key or locking pin such as K, is inserted downwardly through the opening in the bracket ir front' of the arch-bow or wire and the tang or tie wire and the projecting lower end of said key is bent upwardly against the underside of the bracket,

(y e thereby irmly securing l the parts in assembledrelation (see Figs. 2 and 3) The tang or tie wire, which is connected i to the lower portion of the bracket 12, functions in cooperation with the arch-bow in imparting vertical, lateral, or. tortional stresses to selected teeth ofthe dental arch lmeans associated with the bracket and archbow for imparting pressure to the engaged tooth so as to swing the same laterally in either direction and such construction includes a spring 16 formed from a short section of resilient wire, one end of which occupies the rear portion of the notch 15 and being retained therein by the key K and saidspring extends downwardly, thence laterally beneath the underside of the bracket, thence upwardly and the end of this spring is formed into a hook 17 that engages over the arch-bow A. Obviously this spring may be arranged on either side of the bracket so as to swing the tooth laterally in the desired direction.

Secured in any suitable manner on the arch-bow or wire is a collar 18 that functions as a stop against which the upper end of spring 16 engages, and thus the strains and stresses developedV by said spring and imparted to the band and the toot-h that the latter encircles may be accurately regulated and controlled.

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 5, the lower portion of the bracket is provided with a transversely disposed aperture 19, which may be either round or rectangular and which is of sufficient size to accommodate the tang or tie wire T. g

In Figs. Gand 7 I have disclosed a furth kmodified arrangement for receiving and anchoring the tang or tie wire and this'construction comprises a short cylindrical member 20 that vis rigidly secured in any suit'- able-manner in the corner between the underface of the bracket 12 and the outer face of the band 10. When this form of device is used, the tang or tie wire T is threaded through the tubular member.

In Fig. 8 a further modied construction is illustrated and such construction combetween the bracket and arch-bow and inthis construction the central portion of a piece of resilient wire is bent to .form a coil 22 that occupies a horizontally disposed position 0n top of the arch-bow at the point where the same passes through the bracket and one end of the spring extends from said coil laterall and downwardly and the end of this portion of the spring is formed into a hook 23, that engages beneath Ythe archbow at a point adjacent to one side of the bracket.

The other portion of thev spring extends downwardly through the bracket and its end is bent beneath the underface of the bracket,

thus retaining the spring in assembled relation with said bracket and the arch-bow. Obviously the form of spring just described may be used on either side of the bracket.

'Ihusit will be seen that I have provided a relatively simple, practical and inexpensive bracket that is especially designed to be applied to the tooth encircling bands of orthodontic appliances and which bracket provides a convenient support and point of attachment for the tang or tie wires and springs that are utilized in connection with the arch-bow for the purpose of applying the desired strains and stresses to the teeth, so as to produce the correct-dental arch.

It will'be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved orthodontia appliances may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention', the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1.- An orthodontic appliance, comprising a bracket, there being anA arch-bo'wreceiving notch formed in the upper inner. portioh of saidbracket, the lower front portion of said bracket'being provided with a wire receiving opening and said bracket being provided with a vertically disposed Vopening that intersects said arch receiving notch and said l wirev receiving opening.

2. In an orthodontic appliance, the combination with a tooth band of a bracket secured on. said band, an arch-bow passing through the upper portion of said bracket. there being a transversely disposed openingr formed in the lower front portion of said bracket, a wire passing' through said open' ing and there being' a vertical opening formed through said bracket in front of said arch-bow and wire. A

3. .In an orthodontic appliance, the combination with a tooth band of a bracket secured on said band, an arch-bowv passing through the upper portion of said bracket, there being a transversely disposed opening through said vertical opening for securing the arch-bow and said Wire to said bracket.

4. In an orthodontic appliance, the combination with a tooth band of a bracket secured to saidV band, there being an arch-bow receiving opening in the upper rear portion of said bracket, an arch-bow passing through said opening, there Ibeing a transverse opening formed in the lower portion of said 1 bracket, said bracket having a vertically disposed opening that intersects said arch bow receiving opening and said transverse opening, a spring having oneend positioned in the opening in the lower portion of said bracket and the opposite end of which spring engages the arch-bow that is seated in said bracket,

5. In an orthodontic appliance, the combination lwith a tooth band of a bracket secured to said band, there being an arch-bow receiving opening in the upper rear portion of said bracket, an arch-bow passing through said opening, there being a transverse opening formed in the lower portion of said bracket, said bracket having a vertically disposed opening that intersects said archbow receiving opening and said transverse opening, a spring having one end positioned in the opening in the lower portion of said bracket, the opposite end of which spring engages the arch-bow thatis seated in said bracket and means seated in the vertical opening in said bracket for securing thearch-bow and spring to said bracket.

6. In an orthodontic appliance, the coinbination with a tooth band of a bracket secured to said band, there being an arch-bow kreceivi'ng opening in the upper rear portion of said bracket, an arch-bow passing through said opening, there being a transverse opening formed in the lower portion of said bracket, said bracket having a vertically disposed opening that intersects said arch-bow receiving opening and said transverse opening, a spring having one end positioned in the opening in the lower portion of said bracket, the opposite end of which spring engages the arch-bow that is seated in said bracket, means seated in the vertical opening in said bracket for securing the arch-bow and spring to said bracket andmeans on the arch-bow for engaging the end of the spring that engages said arch-bow.

7. As a new article of manufacture, an orthodontic appliance comprising a substantially rectangular bracket provided in its upper rear portion and its lower front portion with transversely disposed openings and said bracket being provided with a vertical- 00 ly disposed key receiving opening that intersects said transversely disposed openings.

^ -Intestimony whereof I aix my signature.K

SPENCER ATKINSON. 

